Thaksin And His Wife Issued Arrest Warrants Over Ratchadapisek Land Case

[Mid]

Ministry: Thaksin's passport still valid

2007-08-16 12:54:15

BANGKOK, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it will not revoke passports of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Potjaman until it receives court orders.

snip

www.chinaview.cn

[Jai Dee]

Thaksin on immigration blacklist

Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Potjaman are on an immigration blacklist and they will be arrested when they step into the country, acting national police chief Seripisuth Temiyavej said Thursday.

"The names of Mr Thaksin and wife are now on the Thai immigration blacklist because they are suspects in a criminal case," Pol Gen Seripisuth told reporters. "If he and his wife enter Thailand at any checkpoint, they will be arrested unless they surrender themselves to police first."

More from the Bangkok Post here.

[LaoPo]

The book, entitled Thaksin, Where Are You, was written by Sunisa Lertpakawat, a lieutenant in the Thai armed forces

It's a juicy story but I don't think the book, written by Ms Lertpakawat, has anything to do with the Arrest Warrants, does it?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...=135273&hl=

LaoPo

[sriracha john]

The book, entitled Thaksin, Where Are You, was written by Sunisa Lertpakawat, a lieutenant in the Thai armed forces

It's a juicy story but I don't think the book, written by Ms Lertpakawat, has anything to do with the Arrest Warrants, does it?

The last half of the article was about his arrest warrant... but thank you for pointing out your thread in the general forum that I had missed regarding the first half. I'll try to remember it if I encounter further articles about her book.

Edited August 16, 2007 by sriracha john

[Plus]

Amazing that the anti-thaksin lynch mob is so obsessed with putting him down that they ignore this big gaping hole in the legal process. These are the same people accusing him of destroying checks and balances in the institutions! The BOT officials were not even questioned! The BOT is the agency responsible for the public auction, and they even consulted with the NCCC before finalising the transaction with Pojaman!

Why are these facts ignored and deemed inadmissable?

They did interview MR Pridiyathorn (the then BOT governor) a few months ago and he essentially said the same, that the auction was conducted in the public realm, and it was above board and verifiable, but Thaksin's lawyers were excluded from the 'closed door' interview, so they couldn't use Pridiyathorn's testimony.

I also mentioned some time ago that i was one of the parties invited to bid on the Ratchada land back in 2003, and when Pojaman won the bid, people in the industry, myself included, thought that she had OVERPAID for the land, our valuations could not justify the price she paid. She was just looking to build her own home on the site, not for commercial development, which is why her winning price rendered other bidders' commericially based valuations uncompetitive. Again, its amazing how the junta is twisting the story around to make is sound like she got the land at a discounted price because nothing could be further from the truth.

First - your outburst is misplaced - BOT are clearing their name in the letter, not Thaksin's.

Second - the article is almost a year old, there has been many months of investigations and interviews since then.

Third - it's illegal for PM's wife to enter into any contract with the state, profitable or not.

>>>>>

I mentioned it earlier - AEC needed either BOT or Finance ministry to file a complaint in order to start proceedings against Thaksin, and AEC threatened uncooperative agencies with actions. They even set an example with firing several Revenue Department officials.

That's when BOT issued their clarification - they were covering their asses, not Shinawatras.

[digitele]

Can everyone agree that all the moves / Warrents/Passports revoked/Blacklist will play to Thaskins advantage?

[John K]

Can everyone agree that all the moves / Warrents/Passports revoked/Blacklist will play to Thaskins advantage?

I don’t think it will play to him unless he can prove that others in the same situation get different treatment. So far The Thai government has crossed all the ‘t’s and dotted all the ‘i’s by the book.

In fact I think fighting will hurt Thaksin because other governments know the procedure. If Thaksin cries foul on this, it will make him look worse. At this stage of the game the world is watching and not just Isaan.

Edited August 16, 2007 by John K

[Artisi]

It will be interesting to see how the UK reacts, given that the current Thai govt is illegal. One would assume this is a vaild reason why extradition could not go ahead, regardless of how much the Thai govt stamps it's feet over claims of corruption.

It's not a matter of whether the Thai goverment is legal or illegal, the law of the land is still legal as nothing there has changed.

[Jai Dee]

Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms Ex-PM’s passport not revoked unless instruction comes from court

Today (August, 16th), Director-General of the Department of Information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tharit Charungvat (ธฤต จรุงวัฒน์), discloses that the ministry will not revoke the passports of both Ex-Prime Minister Thksin Shinawatra (ทักษิณ ชินวัตร) and his wife Khunying Potjaman Shinawatra (พจมาน ชินวัตร), the couple charged with abuse-of-power over the Ratchadaphisek (รัชดาภิเษก) land scandal.

Mr Tharit says the ministry has a mandate to annul the passports of the couple after the court has officially instructed it to do so. However, he declines to say whether Mr Thaksin and his wife will be required to return to Thailand if their passports are no longer in effect.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 16 August 2007

[alancee]

just wondered if man city football shirts have taken a dive in sales or has have they increased ? will anyone wear them on the streets?

[Jai Dee]

Prosecutors brainstorm for ways to extradite Thaksin

Public prosecutors plan to brainstorm for ways to seek the British government's cooperation in extraditing deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman to face trial in Thailand.

Speaking during a morning news programme on Modernine TV (Channel 9) on Thursday, Sampan Sarathana, director-general of the Attorney General's Office in charge of foreign affairs, revealed that the office would brainstorm to pool opinions of legal experts regarding ways to seek the extradition of the ousted premier and his wife, who faced arrest warrants issued by police.

Mr. Thaksin and his wife Pojaman failed to appear before the Supreme Court for its hearing Tuesday

on the corruption charges involving a Bt772-million (US$23.4 million) sale of land in Bangkok's

Ratchadaphisek area from the Office of the Financial Institutes Development Fund to his wife Pojaman.

Both cited their fear that their personal security could not be guaranteed as the reason for their failure to appear for the hearing on the charge.

Mr. Sampan said there would be a consideration of whether the litigation the prosecutors filed with the

court could be applied to any case in Britain.

"Actually, we have had an extradition treaty with Britain since 1911. Under the treaty, the British government may consider extraditing the accused to Thailand if the litigation has a similar nature to

that in Britain," he said.

He conceded Britain's extradition process is rather different from those of other countries.

"On our part, we will consider the litigation we filed with the court can be applied with any case in Britain. So, we will brainstorm to pool opinions of public prosecutors graded from Britain and seek views from legal experts in the country on the matter," he said.

Source: TNA - 16 August 2007

[Mid]

1911

early 18th century actually ,

cite in this thread somewhere , not by me .

[A_Traveller]

1911

early 18th century actually ,

cite in this thread somewhere , not by me .

This is the classic, they are both right. Original treaty with Siam 3/9/1883 {not that early} then Amended, but full treaty 30/11/1885 and finally another updated treaty 04/03/1911.

Source FCO website Bilateral Extradition Treaties

Regards

[Mid]

thanxs AT

facts always welcome .

[marshbags]

To compliment J.D,s earlier post:-

Breaking news 18.00 The Nation 16-08-07

Ref.url

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/16...cs_30045280.php

Quote

Prosecutors start preparations for Thaksin's extradition

Prosecutors in charge of foreign litigation have started preparations to extradite former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Khunying Pojaman from London to stand trial on the 2003 Ratchadaphisek land case.

"About 10 prosecutors educated in English law have been assembled to plan the legal strategies ahead of the execution of an extradition request," chief prosecutor for foreign litigation, Samphan Sarathana said Thursday.

Samphan said he instructed his prosecutors to begin their job by studying relevant provisions in the English law that can be applicable to abuse of power charges faced by Thaksin and Pojaman.

Under the bilateral extradition agreement, a request for fugitives must be based on wrongdoing recognised both by the English and Thai legal systems.

Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Tharit Jarungwat said his ministry had just received copies of two arrest warrants against the two fugitives issued by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

"The ministry will coordinate with the Office of the Attorney General and police in regard to the execution of the warrants," he said.

He said it was too early to comment on the possibility of an extradition request as there were other legal avenues to explore in order to bring back Thaksin and Pojaman.

The Nation

Unquote

Well then T.S. what do think of that??????????

Talk about loss of faceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Just been on CH. 7 also and mentioned :-

(1) About finding a way to facilitate his extradition from the U.K.

(2) That they are required to appear in court on the 25th of this month for one offence andddddddddddddddd

(3) Also an appearance tomorrow 17th relating to the Stock Market.

He is consulting with English lawyers and seeking advice on the above issues and how to avoid extradition.

Interesting times, and never a dull moment of late.

Karma!.......... Karma!............... Karma!

marshbags

Edited August 16, 2007 by marshbags

[soundman]

I honestly didnt think they would proceed so quickly...

[chinthee]

I honestly didnt think they would proceed so quickly...

Yes, surprising to me as well.

[John K]

Yes it was very fast but one thing learned is to make Thaksin mess up, don’t give him time to think things out. Last year when he was being barraged by the PAD he stopped trying to hide things he was doing.

At any rate he can kiss Manchester goodby one way or another. If he does not show and is tried and convicted in absentia they will have no choice but to give him the boot and out of the VIP box he goes with his souvenir jersey.

Based on the trial start date in September, I would say all will be said and done before the elections.

[glaitong]

About time. Guess the courts want all evidence in-order so that Thaksin and wife cannot win the case based on improper charges.

Edited August 16, 2007 by glaitong

[Plus]

I don't think there will be decision that soon. On September 25 they'll just think if they can start proceedings in absentia. It will take about half a year to interview all witnesses and reach a decision.

If Thaksin stays out he can kiss goodbye to his billions. Also his wife and children will be affected, and they are pretty helpless on their own. The family line will die out.

[ColPyat]

"About 10 prosecutors educated in English law have been assembled to plan the legal strategies ahead of the execution of an extradition request," chief prosecutor for foreign litigation, Samphan Sarathana said Thursday.

Right.

Ten Thai prosecutors educated in English law will have to explain to the UK authorities that a former elected PM who was ousted by a military coup, who was asked for several months not to return to Thailand, and against whom generals of the military junta have issued public statements hinting at a lack of personal safety if that former PM is to return to Thailand, that this is not a political case, but a simple criminal case.

Right. Yes.

Especially in light of the severe violations against free elections under this referendum (reports of independent observers are in the process of preparation, and the ones i am aware of are damning), such as arrests of opposing activists, the confiscation of campaign material, the commanding of school children to take part in pro constitution campaigns without consent of parents, the incompetent decisions of the different authorities resulting in an almost comical chaos, such as BMA not allowing TRT to hold a speech at Sanam Luang while interior ministry gave an OK, - the Thai authorities have completely mocked up any chance for an extradition request against Thaksin.

[jackspratt]

Especially in light of the severe violations against free elections under this referendum (reports of independent observers are in the process of preparation, and the ones i am aware of are damning), such as arrests of opposing activists, the confiscation of campaign material, the commanding of school children to take part in pro constitution campaigns without consent of parents, the incompetent decisions of the different authorities resulting in an almost comical chaos, such as BMA not allowing TRT to hold a speech at Sanam Luang while interior ministry gave an OK, - the Thai authorities have completely mocked up any chance for an extradition request against Thaksin.

I guess time will tell.

We can only hope the plunderer and murderer will finally face justice.

[sibeymai]

it is certainly a long road ahead through the legal system although a conviction in absentia is probably nearest outcome on the horizon. I agree Thaksin can kiss Manchester City good bye.

Anyone know if Temasek is in the market for a football team ?

[Siripon]

The Supreme Court judges have until Sept 25 to decide whether to proceed with Thaksin in absentia or not. If I remember correctly under Thai criminal law the defendant is obliged to appear at least once before the judges before the case can proceed, but this case and the subsequent ones against Thaksin, are in the special criminal court for political corruption cases.

Whatever, if the judges decide Thaksin must appear before the case can proceed this will set a precedent and all the following cases such as SC assets, CTX, Exim bank will grind to a halt before Thaksin makes an appearance.

But if the judges decide the case can proceed in absentia then expect it to finish within 3 or 4 months, as unlike normal criminal cases in Thailand this court meets continuously until the case is finished, the judges dedicate their full time to the particular case.

So if the judges decide to proceed it will probably be finished before the next election.

But if they decide to defer until Thaksin returns all the cases will come to a standstill until Thaksin returns voluntarily or is deported.

Much depends on their decision.

[Mid]

Ex-PM Thaksin digs in heels to fight extradition from Britain

BANGKOK, Aug 16(TNA) – Deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is prepared to fight for justice in England where he has taken self-exile since last year's coup d'etat, confirmed Noppadol Pattama, legal adviser to the Shinawatra family.

The ousted prime minister, for whom an arrest warrant had been issued in a bid to bring him over to court in Thailand, had told his lawyers in this country to compile all information and witnesses pertaining to corruption charges lodged against him and his spouse, Khunying Pojaman.

snip

MCOT Public Company Limited

[Tony Clifton]

At any rate he can kiss Manchester goodby one way or another. If he does not show and is tried and convicted in absentia they will have no choice but to give him the boot and out of the VIP box he goes with his souvenir jersey.

We'll see. I seem to recall many people saying he would never get control of Manchester City (some of them probably posting on this thread) in the first place and they ended up with egg on their faces.

Careful! Even more egg may be flung in the near future if an inquiry is set up to check on the Manchester deal, where the money came from and AND what measures were taken to gain control.

Mostly everything the man touches ends up in controversy.

AIS v. competitors

SHIN sale

Monsoon business partnership

Drug War

Tak Bai

Somchai the lawyer

TRT (his baby) ended up dissolved

Loan to Burma

and many more.

[thedude]

Amazing that the anti-thaksin lynch mob is so obsessed with putting him down that they ignore this big gaping hole in the legal process. These are the same people accusing him of destroying checks and balances in the institutions! The BOT officials were not even questioned! The BOT is the agency responsible for the public auction, and they even consulted with the NCCC before finalising the transaction with Pojaman!

Why are these facts ignored and deemed inadmissable?

They did interview MR Pridiyathorn (the then BOT governor) a few months ago and he essentially said the same, that the auction was conducted in the public realm, and it was above board and verifiable, but Thaksin's lawyers were excluded from the 'closed door' interview, so they couldn't use Pridiyathorn's testimony.

I also mentioned some time ago that i was one of the parties invited to bid on the Ratchada land back in 2003, and when Pojaman won the bid, people in the industry, myself included, thought that she had OVERPAID for the land, our valuations could not justify the price she paid. She was just looking to build her own home on the site, not for commercial development, which is why her winning price rendered other bidders' commericially based valuations uncompetitive. Again, its amazing how the junta is twisting the story around to make is sound like she got the land at a discounted price because nothing could be further from the truth.

First - your outburst is misplaced - BOT are clearing their name in the letter, not Thaksin's.

Second - the article is almost a year old, there has been many months of investigations and interviews since then.

Third - it's illegal for PM's wife to enter into any contract with the state, profitable or not.

>>>>>

I mentioned it earlier - AEC needed either BOT or Finance ministry to file a complaint in order to start proceedings against Thaksin, and AEC threatened uncooperative agencies with actions. They even set an example with firing several Revenue Department officials.

That's when BOT issued their clarification - they were covering their asses, not Shinawatras.

has it not occured to you that the reason why some agencies did not file a complaint or were hesitant to was because nothing wrong (or out of the ordinary) occured in the first place? isn't it strange that such a just and powerful panel like the AEC would need to threaten agencies to accuse thaksin?

the junta has taken control of the country, if the agencies had really been liberated from the corrupt handling under thaksin, surely they'd be more than ready to spill the beans. and yet they still need to be arm twisted to accuse thaksin? this is so clearly a witch hunt i'm baffled that you cannot see it.

clearly the BOT does not want to get its hands dirty with all this political victimisation. its operates as an independent agency in the way most central banks operate independently from the government (we have the 97 constitution to thank for this). its no secret that pridiyathorn was a thorn in thaksin's side, there is no need to protect him now. far from needing to cover their behinds, the BOT has no need to protect themselves, they already explained that they had the NCCC's blessing before the transaction (I'm surprised they even went through the trouble to check). it absolves them, but it also puts a hole in AEC's attempt to frame thaksin.

furthermore, as pridiyathorn himself clearly pointed out, the BOT itself and the FDIF asset sale is conducted outside the purview of the Prime Minister's office. the legal importance of this may not have rubbed off on you.

[Mid]

Thaksin: CNS will defame him ahead of referendum

(BangkokPost.com) - Noppadon Pattama, lawyer of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, read a statement written by Mr Thaksin, claiming that the Council for National Security will try to defame him in the next few days for fear that public's admiration for him will affect a national referendum on a draft charter.

According to the statement, Mr Thaksin did not do anything illegal, nor did he commit corruption charges

snip

The Post Publishing Public Co

classified as breaking news , link will disappear .........

[Mid]

Exiled Thai PM Prepares Extradition Fight in U.K.

Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has hired lawyers in Britain to fight any extradition case by Bangkok.

Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, living in exile in London since a bloodless coup last year, has hired lawyers in Britain to fight any extradition case by Bangkok, his spokesman said on Friday.

snip

Reuters

[sriracha john]

has it not occured to you that the reason why some agencies did not file a complaint or were hesitant to was because nothing wrong (or out of the ordinary) occured in the first place? isn't it strange that such a just and powerful panel like the AEC would need to threaten agencies to accuse thaksin?

the junta has taken control of the country, if the agencies had really been liberated from the corrupt handling under thaksin, surely they'd be more than ready to spill the beans. and yet they still need to be arm twisted to accuse thaksin? this is so clearly a witch hunt i'm baffled that you cannot see it.

Click here to view: The 308 post, 7,307 view unbaffling thread